Organisers of Dorchester Beerex, West Dorset Campaign for Real Ale, (CAMRA) and Casterbridge Rotary club are pleased to announce that now all accounts are complete the division of profits, a grand total of £19,932.00 has now been divided up and proceeds paid out to local worthy good causes with this year’s principle charity being Dorset Mind a specialist group that assist with the mental health of younger vulnerable people.
Dorset Mind has been paid £7K and their Chief Executive Marianne Storey said “Dorset Mind is so grateful for the incredible donation of £7,000 received recently from Dorchester Beerex. The event itself went extremely well and our staff and volunteers enjoyed attending it, whilst also being able to spread awareness about the vital work we do locally to support people in Dorchester. We have two local projects for adults – a twice-monthly mental health talking support group that helps people to improve their wellbeing and an ecotherapy project named ‘The GAP Project’ which is based at Loud Mills allotments. Both projects are essential, they are inclusive and invite people to share experiences and tools to help build self-esteem, self-confidence – and reduce isolation. In addition to this, we support young people in schools such as Dorchester Middle School and Thomas Hardye. Dorchester Beerex’s support will enable us to make a huge difference in the area to people’s lives and especially in the current situation when the demand for mental health support has never been greater.
To find out more about the work the charity does locally, please head to their website: dorsetmind.uk
Also to receive £2.6K were the Dorchester Youth and Community group at Fordington cross where the money will go a long way to help keep open the youth club nights.
Other benefactors of the festival were, to name but a few, Keep 106, a local community based radio station, Dorchester Town Youth Football Club, Dorchester Age UK and the YOU Trust, a local Dorchester charity that supports and works with victims of domestic, sexual and violent abuse.
The Chairman of Dorchester Beerex Festival 2020 Les Fry said “We are delighted to be able support the Dorset Mind Charity with a donation of £7000 from our very popular event which was held in February earlier this year.
Les continued Dorset Mind is a pioneering local charity that educates, challenges mental health stigma and inequality while promoting recovery from mental ill health. They have been providing mental health support and education in Dorset since 1946. This is done this by empowering individuals of all ages to understand the recovery process and by assisting them to develop resilience. The charity is at the very heart of the community, shaping futures and changing lives.”
Les said Dorset Mind provides a really valuable service to the people of Dorchester and surrounding area and we feel that this is a very worthy cause. We would like to thank all our sponsors and those who attended helping us to make this year’s such a success.
The Dorchester Arts Centre will also receive money which will go towards the Early Years project, a subsidising project to enable less well off parents to send their children to performing shows. This amazing total not possible without sponsorship and customer support see’s Dorchester Beerex smash through the 200K barrier of funds raised to date to around 208K.
The festivals main sponsor was Palmers brewery of Bridport while individual companies sponsored all the barrels and donated raffle prizes of some that were auctioned.
Picture shows the Beerex 2020 Chairman, Les Fry
